Wawona’s Yesterdays (1961) by Shirley Sargent

Camp Hoyle

Camp Hoyle — the Only Known Photo

Camp Hoyle was established on the
site of Camp A. E. Wood in 1922 by
Bert Hoyle who filed three mining
claims there.
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He carried a flask of
gold in his pocket to substantiate his
claim, but Yosemite officials tried to
make him prove there was gold or silver
on it. Hoyle explained then that he
had filed a claim for a granite quarry
and, since literally thousands of granite
rocks were part of the landscape,
the officials let him be.
70

Hoyle’s “gold”—what there was of
it—came from tourists’ wallets. His
up-to-date camp afforded a dining
room, fountain, store, six tents, six
cabins and a gas station at rates below
those of the Wawona Hotel.
28

The camp catered to touring families
who couldn’t afford hotel lodging,
fishermen, and — oddly enough —
dogs.
74
Dogs were not allowed in the
Park and there we no special kennels
for them at that time so they were
left in custody of the Hoyles while
their owners “did” the Park.

The Park Service bought Hoyle’s interest
in 1932 and demolished the
buildings in 1933. Hoyle, his wife and
two sons, moved to Long Barn
Tuolumne County where he “mined”
more tourist gold with a hotel there
until his death in 1937.
28
His former
Wawona campsite became a public
campground—now Camp A. E. Wood.